1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to hockey pucks and, more particularly, to a hockey puck having an outer shock absorbing enclosure and multiple inner core segments separated from one another by the outer enclosure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In-line skates have expanded interest in playing hockey. Similar to ice hockey, the players seek to drive a puck into an opposing team's goal to score points. However, unlike ice hockey, the puck does not slide as easily along an in-line hockey playing surface, usually cement or asphalt, as it would on ice.
Various designs of hockey pucks for use on non-ice surfaces have been proposed in the prior art to reduce friction between the puck and surface. Some examples of these designs are the ones disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,727,744; 3,784,204; 4,078,801; 4,111,419; 4,153,253; 4,793,769; 4,801,144; 5,149,096; 5,184,820; 5,275,410; 5,288,072; 5,346,214; 5,366,219; 5,472,193; 5,482,274; 5,597,161; and 5,697,858. Many designs propose the use of spherical balls or rollers mounted in opposite surfaces of the pucks which reduce friction but over time accumulate dirt and debris that impair proper function. Other designs employ rounded or semispherical heads or runners protruding from opposite surfaces of the puck which do not rotate and thus avoid the problem of clogging with foreign matter but nonetheless sometimes break off resulting in damaged pucks. Some designs have rigid solid one-piece inflexible inner structures which seem to produce overly hard, dull impacts with hockey sticks and thus lack the feel on players' sticks that pucks have in ice hockey. Still other designs appear to be too soft and flexible and thus lack the ice hockey feel also.